Coach: Recruit Anrio Adams ‘big-time talent’

Anrio Adams, the Associated Press Class 3A basketball player of the year in the state of Washington, should be able to make an immediate, major impact at Kansas University during the 2012-13 season.

So says Seattle Rainier Beach High coach Mike Bethea, whose squad rolled to a 28-2 record and state title in 2011-12, thanks in large part to Adams, a 6-foot-3 senior combo guard who averaged a team-leading 23.0 points and 6.0 assists a game.

“The guy is such a big-time talent. If he does what he’s supposed to do, he’ll be the starting point guard (at KU) next year,” said Bethea, who stands by an earlier statement that Adams reminds him of Miami Heat phenom Dwyane Wade.

“No question about it. Anybody who sees that kid. He has ... oh my goodness, the kid is so talented,” Bethea added. “He is gifted with the ball. He had three to four double-assist games for us. He knows how to get people the ball in the right position and knows how to score as well.”

That could be because some have questioned whether the No. 98-ranked player in the Class of 2012 will be eligible to play next season.

Adams reportedly did not sign a letter-of-intent Wednesday, the final day of the spring signing period, because he has yet to be cleared academically for a scholarship. Reportedly, his most recent ACT score in coming weeks will be matched with his final semester grades in core courses and a determination on his eligibility finalized. No letter of intent is necessary for a high schooler to play college basketball.

Adams — he began his junior season at Seattle’s Franklin High before transferring to Seattle Garfield and moving on to Rainier Beach for his senior campaign — said Wednesday on Twitter he will arrive at KU on June 28. “Also I Will Be Wearing #2 this Year J-hawkation! I Got a Composite Score of 18 i passed,” he wrote, apparently referring to the score on his most recent standardized test.

On Facebook, Adams wrote: “Passed My ACT I will be Attend KansasUniversity On June28th!! #JAyHawkNAtion.... i got a SCORE OF (18).”

Coach Bethea believes his prize pupil will survive the standards of the NCAA clearinghouse.

“You know what? I’d be surprised if he’s not (eligible). He’s been doing very well,” Bethea said. “The first time he took the SAT, he just went in and took it cold turkey. He studied for the ACT. He knew what he had to get to qualify. We’re keeping our fingers crossed, hoping for the best. I think he’ll be OK.”

Assuming Adams qualifies, KU would have 12 scholarship players for 2012-13. KU has not yet offered Chicago combo guard Milton Doyle, who visited campus Monday and Tuesday. The Jayhawks are awaiting word from former University of South Carolina forward Damontre Harris, who is expected to choose between KU and Florida any day now.

KU only has scholarship space for two of the three of Adams, Harris and Doyle.

“He’s really fired up about being a Jayhawk,” Bethea said of Adams. “There’s history with his godbrother, Rodrick (Stewart, Rainier Beach High graduate and former KU guard). Rodrick told him how things are down there (at KU). He’s pretty amped about going there.”

Bethea said he can understand why Adams hasn’t inked a letter-of-intent, considering freshmen Ben McLemore and Jamari Traylor were ineligible a year ago.

“That’s why we’re approaching this here with kid gloves,” Bethea said. “Coach (Bill) Self and those guys have to make sure everything is all lined up in a row before they can physically commit to signing him. It’s one of those things when we learn he’s good to go ... coach wants him to be there. He wants to be there.”

Adams would be stunned if he’s not contributing for KU this upcoming season.

“He’s not even thinking any other way than being a Jayhawk,” Bethea said.

Doyle likes KU

Milton Doyle, a 6-4 senior from Chicago’s Marshall High, had a great time on his visit to KU.

“I had never seen Allen Fieldhouse up close, so that was a cool experience for me,” he told Rivals.com. “Being able to see Allen Fieldhouse just allowed me to see how much history the program has. Everybody already knows what Kansas basketball is and what it’s about, but it was good for me to see some of the history for myself.”

Doyle, who averaged 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals last season, wants to attend KU, which his mom Lisa calls his “dream school.”

“I really don’t know what I’m going to do next,” he said. “Kansas is definitely at the top of my list.”

“I thought nine was the perfect number. Because that way you’re playing 16 league games and, in football, everybody plays eight games,” he said. “But I understand the reasoning why you’d want to go to 10 or 12. It gives you more of an appearance of stability and more of a safety net as conference realignment continues to develop. Hopefully the brakes have been put on that, at least for the short term. But I anticipate us expanding. We’ve even heard rumors here recently about a school from the ACC (Florida State) potentially looking to come our way. I think you’ll have more and more of that talk. Because the Big 12, at least from an appearance standpoint, is on the best footing it’s been on in a long time.”

Of McLemore, he said: “From an athletic standpoint, he’s about as impressive of a kid as we’ve had. He’s got great feet. He could be a good defender. There aren’t too many guys that can score that want to be told they could be a great defender. But he could be. He could be a terrific defender.”

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Comments

I didn't catch the "aren't too many guys that can score that want to be told they could be a great defender" comment quite right on the ESPN video, hopefully he's already made strides towards becoming a great defender. That's my biggest concern from last year to this year, whether the defense will be as solid. Sure there's losing an offensive post-threat and rebounder like TRob and the playmaking ability of TT, but offense can be generated in different ways. Both of those guys knew how to defend and that will be tough replicate.

I would hope they have a pretty good idea of what score Adams needed to qualify. Have to wait on the Clearinghouse though.
Also, I will be pleasantly surprised if he's able to start at PG next year. Tough starting 5 to crack so he'd have to be pretty impressive to make it happen.

I think I recall him making a great defensive block to preserve Kansas's victory over Missouri...
He certainly has the ability to be a big-time defender but I have to agree with you.
Maybe if he had been getting a lot more minutes in his first two seasons, he would have learned to play defense without fouling at the pace he was.
If he is to make it to the NBA and stick around for a while, that would be where he needs to make the most improvement.

If that block had come earlier in the game it would likely be called a foul. I think TRob got away with one because refs don't like to blow the whistle that late in the game. Looking at the replay, there are grounds to call a foul. He hammered the Mizzou player in the follow through after the block.

I think Defense is the one thing we will keep (or maybe even improve). Releford is a great defender and I think EJ will be too. Of course Withey. Just need our other big guys to improve and get bigger/stronger. Last year we didnt have a big body coming off the bench that could bang around on the glass and hold their ground in the post on D. I'm oping Traylor or another young big gives us that.

If Adams passes the Clearinghouse, which I wouldn't be suprised if he didn't seeing how the NCAA hates KU, is it too early to do starting lineups?

1.EJ at point;Tharpe backing him up
2.B-Mac at 2: Adams backing him up could play point also but I like the D-Wade comparison
3.Relly at 3, White backing him up seeing how he said he's molding his game off of Brandon Rush's
4. It's a toss-up right here, could be Ellis or it could be Traylor but this spot will be stacked with competition along with Young
5. Withey; along with Lucas(supposedly he's 6''10 now) and Peters

I know you have a far better than average knowledge of basketball but on this issue, I completely disagree.
He will get minutes in pre-conference play but I don't think he has the skills to match his physicality.

Because they are raw, Peters and Ellis and Traylor will all scrap for time with Young. Coach used four bigs in 2008 and I remember him stating that is his preference because they get used so much harder in a physical game. It seems to me that Withey is going to play all the minutes he wants so it is Ellis' 4 spot that will be most rotated.

I think with all the different guard combinations and abundance of wings/forwards it's impossible to say at this point. I'm sure everyone is hoping BMac and Ellis step up and prove themselves as starters to go with EJ/TRel/W in the lineup. Off the bench I have a hard time imagining Young not working his way into the game a lot. He showed too much bball acumen last year, a nice shot, good hops and defensive effort. Tharpe started to show positive signs and I imagine he is going to get plenty of opportunities. One of Peters/Lucas is going to be needed to give Withey breathers inside. Have to think HCBS will end up with at least a 9 man rotation with either Traylor, Adams or White making an impact. Will take a lot of hustle to stay on the court this year.

I've seen Peters play and see him as more of a 4. He handles the ball very well for his size...power forward type with some finesse. I believe he's going to be much better than most people think. Not playing summer ball last year hurt his ranking, but when you see him you will have little doubt why Self offered him a scholarship as a sophomore. Minutes could be tough for him to find next year though. He's a kid who (when he does get his chance) is going to shine. That chance may not come right away though.

With a little luck maybe he'll be successful in getting his high school teammate to follow him to Lawrence next year. That would be gold plated icing on the cake.

Sounds like this is going to be a big week for Kansas. Hopefully, Adams gets his 18 on the ACT and everything can go smoothly with the Clearinghouse to make him "Elgible" for the upcoming season.

With that said, I will believe it when I see it when Anrio sports the #2 jersey this year. You just never know what the clearinghouse will or will not do so I will stay optimistic but cautious until Late Night opens on the 15th of October.

It sounds like Harris is going to make his decision by Friday of this week so his decision will most likely affect that of Doyle who is waiting on Adams scores and Harris' decision.

If Anrio Adams can provide half the production or even 60 percent of the minutes that TT produced his freshman year in 2009 than I will be a happy man. I'm not a big fan of a coach making comments like that, but you have to love the confidence of Anrio Adams's camp and people.

I liked Self's commens on expansion, but from a fan perspective I would like to see the Big 12 expand and get a little more stable. Hopefully, they can do this swiftly and quickly and have this for the most part wrapped up by the conclusion of the June meetings. Probably not likely but it sure would be nice.

Top Bench
Relly, KY, Traylor
Wild cards Adams and White...
Not many freshman have gotten PT under HCBS. Only Xavier, Josh and Tyshawn have started once he built the program. Mario, Julian, BRush had to since we were so thin back then.
Also we get articles on every incoming frosh just like this every year... I bet you all thought Merv was going to be a stud too... Adams isn't ranked high and neither is Peters or Lucas. I don't expect much from them early on. At least we've seen glimpses of good play from Naadir.

I think you give pretty sufficient reasoning for why TRel won't be coming off the bench behind Tharpe and BMac.
5th year senior, FF starter orrrr.....RS Freshman and Sophomore that had a rough freshman campaign?
Personally I think it would be best for the team if Releford takes 12-15 shots a game next year and possibly leads the team in scoring. Somebody get that kid some swagger!

I think it is very unlikely that Tharpe starts and Releford doesn't. Tharpe struggled to earn playing time much of last year while Releford was a fixture in the starting lineup. I would expect a starting lineup on the perimeter of EJ, Travis and B Mac, with Adams and White providing time off the bench.

Inside Withey is a lock. Ellis seems like a likely starter given his talent, but Traylor has been in the program for a year and might have an inside track until Ellis gets acclimated.

Where Young fits is a mystery. He played a lot of 4 last year out of necessity, but doesn't have the bulk to do that against teams that play two traditional big men. He's a natural three, but doesn't have much of an outside shot. What he does have is experience. I suspect that he will have to compete with Adams and White for PT off the bench, but will play some 4 against teams that play four guards

I think that we will see Self rotating as many as 11 players in November and December and then shorten the bench to 8 or 9 in January. That's what he's done in the past when we had a deep bench and young players.

I put the most talent for my starting 5. TRelly has proven while extremely capable he just refuses to drive the lane and how many times did he pass up a wide open shot? He probably will start but I'd like to see him come off the bench in a firemans role, to put out the fire. BMac might win Big12 POY next year and TRelly doesn't need to take minutes away from him.

There is no way that Relly doesn't start.. I'm sorry. Self loves defense and he is the best on ball defender we have. And he can score. Think of Rus-Rob. Sheron was much better than Rus-Rob, but he started the games and Sheron closed them out. I can see this same type of situation happening with Relly and White.

That's exactly why TRel needs to start. Being "downgraded" to a bench role isn't going to give him more confidence to come in guns blazing. You could also note that he was playing on a team where the dominant weapons were TT and TRob. It's pretty easy to want to defer to them and it's very likely it was beat into their heads to feed TRob early and often in every possession. That happens to good team players all the time, they wonder if it's smart to take a shot when there are better options on the floor. You might also remember a FF game where he put up 15pts on 7 shots against OSU. He needs to get more shots, anyone not named Kobe would likely have a hard time getting a lot of FGAs in playing alongside TRob, TT and EJ last year.
Obviously the coach constantly referring to you as the best on-ball defender puts a lot of pressure on you to focus your efforts to that end of the floor as well.
I have a pretty hard time imagining BMac being the POY on KU let alone in the Big12.

In regards to the NCAA Clearinghouse, Adams has transferred several times, but only to accredited high schools. McLemore, Anderson and even Rush experienced road blocks because of the schools/diploma factories they attended along the way.

This is really great news for KU and I am eager to see Adams suit up next year. And with so much future talent in the "smalls" department with McLemore, White, Adams, Tharpe, Frankamp and Greene, it's interesting to speculate who will be handling the ball in a year or two.

Self is still recruiting Freeman, Ennis and others in the 2013 class, but the guard position looks loaded already. Right now, it appears the minutes at point in 2013 would be between Tharpe, Frankamp, and maybe Adams.

All I know of Adams is from what I've seen in videos and read in scouting reports, but it looks like he fits that freakish athletic combo guard mold that Self loves and has the capacity to put it all together - we'll have to wait and see. At worst, he looks to be an athletic slasher with a great jumper. Self is putting together a truly shooting team.

It feels different doesn't it, having so many SG's/wings coming into KU? You can think back a long ways and the best 2/3 punch KU had was Giddens/Langford and Langford had injuries Giddens' sophomore year. I remember really wanting DeShawn Stevenson so we'd finally have that NBA wing to go with some excellent guards and bigs and he went straight to the league. Seems like there was a long list of athletic wings KU narrowly missed on before and after that. Then we finally got Rush and almost lost him after an elite eight run. Between BMac/White/Greene and we could be coming into a golden age of 2/3 play at KU in a couple years. PG position looks well stocked, if Harris picks KU and Self brings in 1 more quality big the future will look exceptionally bright.

Small's? Isn't McLemore 8'5 and White like 6'6? And Greene coming in at 6'7? Teahan was 6'6 but was purely an outside shooter...........all these other kids can shoot but can also slash! I like Greene and McLemore as slashers!

Either way this years team will be fairly large and long! Withey 7'0, Lucas 6'10, Peters 6'9, Young 6'8, Ellis 6'8, Traylor 6'7, Trelly 6'6. White 6'6, BMac 6'5......

Then we still have EJ, Tharpe, Wesley.......

I mean it will be a big team from top to bottom! I think we will be in pretty good shape guys and gals.............

I'll echo eastcoasthawk's thoughts on Hudy. The article illustrates quite well the benefits KU's players have received under her guidance. I'm sure the athletic department pays her very well for her services, and she deserves every penny. What with all the recent press she's received, KU should take extra care to keep her happy. As the article says, she's is/was KU's secret weapon. It could be said that KU's basketball success during the 2011 - 2012 season (free of any major injuries) is attributable to Hudy's individualized player training regimen. A big "Mahalo" to you for all you have done, Ms. Hudy.

I really hope KU makes sure she is happy and keeps her. D-Man being gone, they can't afford to lose the other secret weapon. For a lot of young players, Hudy may actually be the best reason to go to college for a few years instead of D-league, Europe, or one and done. The kind of results she has gotten really transforms players and raises their NBA potential drastically. Just ask Sherron Collins. He'd likely be in the league right now if he was still eating every meal with Hudy.

When Coach Self and staff take off their recruiting hats and don their coaching hats...that cold world of "reality" looms for a bunch of youngsters.

With at least 7 very talented freshman competing for playing time next year...those that figure out that you have to play defense to earn time on the court will be the ones making significant contributions to the 2012-2013 squad.

For those that don't? The KU bench is a great place to watch some big-time basketball.

It seems like every year there is someone who comes along with great potential. Potential doesn't win championships. If these kids can listen to coach Self, do what he says and put their ego's aside, there is a good chance that we can chalk up another Big 12 championship and final four appearance.

If you read the article you would know that KU only has 2 scollies to give and one is going to Anrio assuming he qualifies and the other is for Damontre Harris assuming he picks KU over Florida. Doyle will only be offered one if one of those two doesn't pan out. Of course his only other offers right now are Colorado St. and Nebraska, so you could see why he would want to sign with KU.

It's really pretty funny to hear these high school coaches project these guys into college stardom. We heard it with Milton Bradley (Doyle) and now with Adams, and we've heard it before. Most high school coaches are teachers that only coach during a high school season, and have very little perspective on AAU ball and the vast numbers of talented kids.

A ridiculous statement for the coach to say “The guy is such a big-time talent. If he does what he’s supposed to do, he’ll be the starting point guard (at KU) next year" .. and standing by a statement that he reminds the coach of "Dwayne Wade." What value is any of that? Zero to less than zero.

But it is this sort of stuff that many buy into. Jsatt3 says "I like the D-Wade comparison" .. I bet you do, son. But then you'll see Adams dribble off his foot vs. Kennesaw St, or fling a pass into the third row, or lose his man on a back door, or lack proper spacing on defensive end leading to an easy opponent's bucket or a foul by Withey --- leading to a Self implosion, and back to the bench. That's reality.

Adams is just player. A barely top 100 player with academic issues. A player that we can hope will be eligible. A player we can hope will be good enough to compete to be in the rotation. Reasonably a player to provide depth his first season in case of an emergency. A talent to be developed, who could be a major contributor at some point. Forget what the high school coach says. It's meaningless.

We've got some guy posting above that Adams is our first sub off the bench. Unreal. And for that matter, unrelated, another guy posting that Tharpe will start over Releford .. not sure what world he's living in.

Now I was told the other day that I was our resident "glass half empty" poster. Maybe a shot glass of reality poster. I don't know.

But seriously, who is naive enough to buy into the hype we see in some of these articles, or from other sources?

Earlier in the week, Doyle was a huge sleeper, diamond in the rough, brilliant find by Self .... ugh. Now what? In reality, nothing's changed. Doyle is the type of recruit that we sign if .. and only if .. we absolutely have to .. to provide emergency depth. Merv Lindsay. And then he is a OAF (One And Flush) candidate, to borrow JB's accurate acronym. Better off going to Peoria and choosing Bradley.

Let's just hope we get Adams in, and that he is eligible. Those are two very nice steps. Then we can see Dwayne Wade .. er .. Adams, on the court.

"Adams is just player. A barely top 100 player with academic issues. A player that we can hope will be eligible. A player we can hope will be good enough to compete to be in the rotation. Reasonably a player to provide depth his first season in case of an emergency. A talent to be developed, who could be a major contributor at some point. Forget what the high school coach says. It's meaningless."

--not to mention a player that 8 years ago probably wouldn't have even got a scholarship offer from Self

Mike Bethea is one of the most respected coaches in the seattle area, though. Hes won over 400 games and won 4 maybe 5 state titles during that time. He's coached 5 NBA players and 34 division one players. I think he might be in some position to say how good Anrio will be.

I agree that the D-Wade comparison is a bit much and the academic issue is sketchy, but Bethea has the credentials to say who's good and who's not. He's not just a teacher.

HEM, Since you're picking up on ridiculous statements made by coaches and fans here too, what about the statement "the NCAA hates KU"? They seemingly hammered us this past year, nearly did so the year before with Selby, but has it happened before then? No one here knows all that went on in the Mclemore case or in the cases of the kids who were denied eligibility at all. It's my understanding that the partial qualifier rule is stricter in the Big 12. That cost us more than the NCAA if I read that right. So enough of the nonsense that the NCAA hates us.
Thanks for your post by the way, it made a lot of sense.

Look up Rainier Beach HS. The number of NBA players coming from there is high. Not sure this guy was there all this time but he did win the Washington state championship (their eighth per Wikipedia) and that is a huge accomplishment. NBA alumni include Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, Terrence Williams, C.J. Giles, and Doug Christie (retired). These things might give the coach a leg to say what he did.

My Fellow posters, all this speculation is great fun and well placed by all. But please look at who is in charge. HCBS goes with the guys that got him there.

Ink in Jeff, Travis and Elijah as starters and Kevin as the sixth man...four seniors [aren't Travis and Kevin even five year guys?.]

From this point on, you can debate starters #4, #5 and bench players #7, #8 and #9.

My take:

4 Perry - super-talented and Bill has followed Perry since he cut his first tooth

5 Ben - a scoring machine with a year of "experience."

then, off the bench after Kevin,

7 Nadiir - point guard of the future

8 Anrio - swing man with good ability

9 Jamari - a big body also wth a year of "experieince."

If anything Bill is consistent, although this year will be a real coaching challenge, but for a different reason......
Last season Bill was short of chess pieces.....this upcoming season, he's going to have a whole board full!!

Ya I don't know how the ACT works these days, 4 parts and he averaged 18? I'm running under the assumption someone at his HS or at KU was able to tell him based on his GPA what score he needed to clear. Now whether his GPA will hold up in the eyes of the NCAA may be the questionable part of the process.

Had a good talk with one of our coaches a few weeks back and he said of Peters "the only reason he wasn't top 40 was he stopped playing AAU ball in his Junior year.He did all the little dirty things for his HS team to win and didn't focus on his individual stats last season. and he will have a immediate role with our team this year."

Congrats on the win, although the rebuilding Jayhawks were two missed dunks away from being down by two with the ball for the last shot against the mighty Wildcats. John recruits well...cheats better...avoids getting caught, the best.

It is amazing how many times UK comes up by the posters here stating how they are cheating, paying players, etc. KU fans aren't use to a team that is bigger, faster, and more talented than their own and they have to ditch UK on every front - I guess it makes them feel better if they do.

Well with the best senior class in cbb, a couple of RS-Freshmen and a top10 class KU is looking pretty solid.

It's probably us that should be asking you that. Everyone knows about Cauley/Nerlens/Poythress/Goodwin/Harrow/Wiltjer, but what other pieces is Cal looking to add to give UK some depth this year? Lyons would have been key for you guys but you couldn't offer a starting spot. There have been several other graduate transfers like Lockett to Marquette from ASU, UK has to be hoping to find another piece that can contribute next year as Cauley will take time to develop and none of Hood/Beckham/Polson/Long have provided contributions in the past. Will be interesting to see if Goodwin can handle the rock when Harrow takes a seat.
Don't let those Missery Tiggers' heads get too big down south now you hear.

With all this conference realignment it's messed up having 3 tigers in the SEC, multiple rams in the A10 and whoever else is doubling up on mascots these days. And the logos for the rams are nearly identical.

If the major outlets don't want to tell me who top10 teams like UK is picking up I'll take the info where I can get it bennybob
Sounds like Julius Mays fits what Cal was looking for, a guy who is happy to come off the bench for UK and won't crowd the roster for next year's recruits. He has a very thin line to walk to keep the caliber of recruits he's gotten so far at UK coming in. Gillespie left things wide open and OADs keep things appealing for the next round. It'll be interesting to see if he can land the Harrison twins if Harrow, Goodwin, Cauley and Wiltjer are all around another year

Great Kentucky ....so proud to produce so many potential Allen Iversons. Their players know they cant graduate so they leave after one year.....maybe make a lot of money...then spend a lot of money...then end up broke......

That is a great tradition for such a great collegel....They ought to change their school chant to...Leave No BB Player Behind to be Educated

After all who wants to educate them...that clogs up recruiting...we couldn't tell recruits that they will start day 1..and that is such a great advantage!

Once he gets to KU (assuming he qualifies), Anrio needs to work on staying out of foul trouble. It kept him on the bench for a good chunk of the state title game, the semifinal, and a mid-season game against Long Beach Poly that was supposed to be a showcase for his talents. Long-term he may be more effective as a sub, instead of carrying the load by himself like he did much of this year.

Of the three recruits apparently vying for two schollies, how do you rank them based on both the players' abilities and potential as well as the teams' needs both next year and beyond?

Personally, I'm not sure why the Harris offer isn't being pulled and offered to Doyle to hedge against an Adams ineligibility. (except for the chance that maybe KU coaches are WAY classier than me and they don't rescind offers that easily) Of course, I don't know anything compared to the coaches. Just curious what others think.

Harris is still at the top of my list, I like the idea of adding someone to Tharpe's class rather than the incoming class for starters. I also like the idea of adding a big we know can handle playing in D1. He won't be able to play but could be invaluable for Withey to practice against and to show guys like Peters/Lucas the athleticism they'll be up against in D1 ball.

From what I've seen in Adams' highlights his hops are better than Doyle's, so the upside potential may be higher, but I also think Doyle has a lot of talent. It's pretty difficult to judge so I'll defer to the "experts" and assume Adams is the better get. The good news is I don't think either needs to be relied on next year with EJ/Tharpe/BMac/TRel dominating the guard rotation.

Certainly if you look at the case BrockIII makes above it's hard to see both Adams and Doyle being at KU long term if both were signed with Tharpe/Frankamp and possibly another legit PG coming in next year like Barber.

I want Adams to clear, if he doesn't I can't say that Doyle is a downgrade, good to have one of them on the team next year to see what they can develop into.

I think defensively we'll be fine. Usually are with how Bill Self coaches these guys. Plus we have our two best defenders back, Releford and Withey. Those guys change games on their own just by their defensive ability. Releford wears guys down by his sticky defense, and Withey literally changes their whole shot perception. I think if we get Harris we will have a solid big defense. Also, Johnson is a better defender than what he gets credit for. Bring in Anrio, McLemore, and Traylors talents, and I'm pretty sure we'll be top 10 again this season for sure. I'm also looking for Tharpe to step it up. With Anrio and Traylor so highly talked about, I wonder if this will motivate him to reach his potential. From what I hear Tharpe is a very intelligent guy. Has a great basketball mind and can really lead a team when it needs to happen. Kind of reminds me of a Aaron Miles or Russel Robinson. The only question I have is, does this team have the heart last years team had? We will find out! RCJH!!

There is a lot of good discussion here regarding possible lineups. I honestly think that all of our recruits look like they could make some very positive impacts and think we'll only know once we seem them play. However, what hasn't been discussed is the fact that an 18 on your ACT is nothing to be proud of. My parents forced me to take it twice and I got a 26. He should be proud that he passed and gets to come play at KU, but I wouldn't have broadcast a score that low.

I think 21 is average but 18 is possibly above average for collegiate basketball/football players.
In the end though tjg1 it doesn't matter, if he clears he's going to get a college education and play for the Kansas Jayhawks, which is a lot to be proud of

The book is more likely about stereotyping and prejudice than about basketball. Lin ended up all the way across the country at Harvard, while Stanford - right in his own backyard - passed on him. He was often mistaken for the team manager, and endured blatant taunting while playing at Harvard..

Rex Walters never had to deal with this type of harassment, as he wasn't easily recognizable as being Asian. He has come out as being a very strong supporter of Lin and his unique career from HS to Pro.

The NBA is not so desperate to find an Asian player to market, as our society ought to be desperate to end stereotyping and bullying of any kind.

you seriosuly think the NBA is not looking at all the $$$$$ Yao Ming brought into the league and is trying to find the next one?

I live in minnesota and attend timberwolves games regularly. whenever the rockets came to town well over half maybe even 75% of the crowd appeared to be of asian decent. and those game were selling out which never happens because the wolves are so terrible.

Its not prejueice to point out that there is a large market of asian americans out there wanting to be basketball fans that lack players they can relate too.

I was pointing out that "20 games in the NBA" is irrelevant. Because, it's not the basketball, it's the story.

I don't argue the NBA is looking at $. However, as desperate as they might be to capture the Asian market, we (collective society) ought to be even more desperate to rid ourselves of the shameful, ignorant, and sometimes mean-spirited attitude Lin met up with on his way to perhaps short-lived stardom.

Obviously, as a business, the NBA has an agenda. Jeremy's attitude and dedication are Linspiring, and frankly, I'm Lindifferent as to who tells his story.

BayHawk: Why are there stereotypes? Think about that for a bit. Why? White men can't jump. Why the stereotype? Because, generally, they can't. Stereotypes are generalities. And that doesn't mean someone isn't the exception to the general rule. And that doesn't mean the general rule isn't the general rule.

Why did I pick the "white men can't jump" stereotype? It's because, generally, white men are the only ones that don't whine about things. Generally.

The caution I would note for would-be lineup makers is coach Self is all about competition, first getting competent on defense. There is little chance that Withey or EJ get beaten out and perhaps Releford as well but these guys will work against each other all summer to hone their skills. I seem to remember that the NCAA has relaxed the rules and allows coaches some teaching time during the off season so by the time they go to Europe they will be ready to compete for time. Initially the older guys have a huge advantage but as the season progresses I look for more time from the younger players as well. The lineup that starts when league play opens (barring injury) will likely be the starting lineup when we take the court in Atlanta in April.

The wildcard here is the perception of the better players on whether they can come to KU and get time right away, hastening their departure for larger paychecks. After Selby's struggles, will coach want to showcase White and Ellis even more than they earn in competition? My gut says no - Bill Self is going to coach the same way every year as far as his principles. What do you think?

There's really no pressure there, if our only 5-star (espn has Ellis as a 4-star) recruit was a transfer risk maybe Self would feel some pressure to make sure he got a lot of minutes, but guessing Ellis is nothing like a Micah Downs type player in that regard and won't complain if he doesn't earn playing time
If a very high-profile top10 player were coming in there would probably be some pressure to make sure he got minutes, but in general guys that good are going to get minutes.
There's zero pressure to "showcase" White, heck one of the fans the other day was counting players and forgot him. None of these freshmen should have a big head coming in, even BMac better not have a big head heading into next year, 'cause there are no guarantees Tharpe/EJ/TRel won't just work together better once HCBS tries some different lineups.

Hopefully top recruits bring it up with Self so he can make sure they understand that Selby had suspension/injuries that cost him most of his freshman season. Xavier got plenty of PT and was the 12th pick in the NBA draft! Other than Selby I don't understand the stigma people try to spread about top recruits and KU bball. Maybe one of us should put together a youtube video about all the underclassmen under Self that have been lottery picks: Wright, Rush, Morris Twins, TRob, Henry, Cole and point out how two others are NBA starters in Chalmers and Arthur. That's 7 lotto picks in 9 years and only 2 were top10 recruits.

Love your optimism, lee3022 - "will likely be the starting lineup when we (KU) take the court in Atlanta in April (Final Four)". Interesting how, before the 2010-2011 season, many were thinking the same way. Then at the start of the 2011-2012 season most were hoping KU would at least make the sweet sixteen. I hope this season's team can stay focused and not become too overconfident. Because, with coach Self at the helm, this coming season could be just as successful as the previous.

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As for the starting five:

EJ has earned the starting PG position. I think that's his natural position, and where he played his best minutes last year (while TT was on the bench). He has driving abilities and, like Taylor, has the speed and hops to score inside. He won't be shooting as many 3's this season.

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Ben Mc. will start at one wing, and Releford the other. To start the season I think Releford will score more, but as the newcomers become more confident and everyone starts to gel, his scoring will go down slightly and he'll concentrate more on lockdown defense. I'm hoping they both drive the lane more (with EJ doing the same), thus keeping the opposition from concentrating on the postmen as much as they did last year. ----- >Withey is KU's one true center and will play as many minutes as fouls allow, or until he needs a break. Peters or Lucas will fill in as needed (see below).

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The 5th starter will be a dog eat dog situation. Ellis should finish the season as a starter, but it may take a while before he can beat out Traylor or (depending on the opposition's players), Young. It's on the defensive end where he'll have to earn his position, because he should have the advantage on the offensive end.

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As for 1st off the bench, it will be at the post position, because Self has so many options (Ellis, Traylor or Young.)

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Then, I believe White will give Ben Mc or Releford a rest.

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If Tharpe has improved as much as we all hope he has, he'll be first to relieve EJ. But if he hasn't learned to protect the ball, Adams could take over as reserve PG.

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Finally, what happens with Lucas and Peters? I think one of them will red shirt, probably Lucas. Without having seen them play, I only have what's been written about each. I think Peters will have an advantage because he may be stronger. Of course, Hudy could neutralize that when given the chance. If Harris chooses KU, it will only effect the following season's lineups.

I actually do think it will be good for Ellis in the long run to be the 6th man off the bench with maybe Young starting for a while
I hope you're right and TRel scores it well early, another good lesson for young guys is to keep up their intensity on both ends even when they're not the ones putting up the points
Of course in my opinion if Releford gets going early there's no reason for his scoring to taper off, this is it for him, attack attack attack

Actually, you're probably right about neither one red shirting, at least if KU knows that one or two top ranked bigs (or Harris) will be in the fold for the following year. It would guarantee another available big for this coming season, while there may not be a need for the following season. And as "lonestar_jayhawk" points out (below), Self has numerous options to use during gametime chessmatches. Because KU is at least double deep (with the addition of Adams) at each position. In fact, with the available bodies, Self could almost run two separate squads into a game.

Speculations are such fun this time of year. Everyone invisions their own KU dream team for next season. :>)

I don't think that being in the 'starting five' will mean the same as it did this season. This team has great match-up options. The Jayhawks could go with a 'big' line-up, a four-guard line-up, a shut-down D line-up. This will be a classic Bill Self team going 8 or 9 deep with many subs. Fresh legs. Many looks. Tough full-court pressure.

p>Zagsblog.com has an article on NBA tryouts (Title references to Machado...) in which TT is mentioned as one of the top four point guards which may be selected in the next draft. Article does, however, say "Taylor from Kentucky...").